Qiao Qiqi was a little worried, so she turned around, walked to the door, locked the door from the inside, and then went into the kitchen to prepare lunch.
Lunch consisted of braised pork, braised eggplant, and a cold dish.
As for rice, Qiao Qiqi cooked a pot of mixed rice and steamed a few leftover steamed buns from breakfast.
Just as the aroma wafted from the kitchen, Fang Ke and her mother returned home from get off work.
Qiao Qiqi heard the knocking and immediately went to open the door.
"It smells so good! Qiqi, what delicious food did you make? I can smell it even before I've entered the yard." Fang Ke couldn't wait to change her shoes, threw down her bag, and ran to the kitchen, just like a little glutton.
Fang's mother watched helplessly from behind, "I've spoiled this child, Qiqi, please don't mind!"
"No, I like it very much!" She herself was like this in the 21st century, so seeing Fang Ke like this is like seeing a second version of herself.
She suddenly reminded me of my wife, Ms. Qiao. I wonder how she is doing now.
"Wow! Qiqi, you actually made braised pork! How did you know I wanted to eat braised pork!" Fang Ke suddenly ran out of the kitchen and excitedly hugged Qiao Qiqi.
Just as Fang's mother was about to scold her, she suddenly noticed the clothes drying on the balcony. "Oh dear, Qiqi, did you wash all of these? You're a guest, how can we let you wash our clothes!"
Qiao Qiqi smiled and said, "I just washed my own clothes because I had them to wash too. You don't need to be so polite with me."
How could Fang's mother not be polite? Seeing that Qiao Qiqi had washed so many clothes, she was truly overwhelmed with emotion!
But Fang Ke was the one with the most mixed feelings, because most of the clothes that Qiao Qiqi washed were hers, while Fang's mother only had two pieces.
"Qiqi, how can I thank you enough! I originally thought that letting you stay was me helping you, but now that you've cooked and done the laundry, I'm the one who feels bad." Fang Jian was so touched by Qiao Qiqi's kindness that he didn't know what to say.
"Since you don't know how to thank me, just eat all the food I made for lunch. That will be your way of thanking me." Qiao Qiqi smiled and went into the kitchen to serve the dishes.
She had asked Fang's mother, and Fang's father had a business dinner and wouldn't be home for lunch, so there were only three of them eating, plus little Xin Xin.
Fang's mother was already amazed by the steamed buns Qiao Qiqi made in the morning. Now, after eating Qiao Qiqi's dishes, she realized that her dishes were even better. The braised pork melted in her mouth, soft, tender, and fragrant. The taste was simply superb.
The braised eggplant was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. I don't know what method they used, but the flavor had seeped into the inside as well. Unlike the ones I eat outside, which are bland inside and need to be dipped in sauce, this one was delicious.
Fang Ke really liked the braised eggplant. After noticing that the flavor was also inside, she immediately asked curiously, "How did you manage to get the flavor inside?"
Fang's mother also looked over curiously.
Qiao Qiqi generously explained to the two of them, "Before cooking the eggplant, I sprinkled a layer of salt on it and let it sit for more than 10 minutes before coating it with flour and frying it. This step has two purposes: one is to let the saltiness penetrate the eggplant, and the other is to draw out some of the moisture from the eggplant so that it doesn't absorb too much oil when frying, and also to prevent it from spraying oil when it goes into the pot."
"I didn't know you could do that," Fang's mother said, indicating that she had learned something new.
Qiao Qiqi placed a piece of braised pork into Xin Xin's bowl. "Actually, the eggplant doesn't absorb the flavor of the broth. It's just that it's salty, so it's not tasteless inside, which makes it taste good."
Fang Ke looked at her mother with disdain, "Mom, you should learn from Qiqi these days. You can't hire such a good teacher even if you have money."
Fang's mother thought so too, but thinking about the dishes she used to make, she still lacked confidence, so she said to her, "You can learn with me, and we can each learn half."
"Cough cough..." Fang Ke choked immediately and quickly drank a few mouthfuls of water. After calming down, she immediately begged for mercy: "Please spare me. It's fine if you let me eat, but let me cook? I will never have Qi Qi's skills in my entire life."
Fang's mother glared at her angrily, "You can't learn it, so you make me learn it? Do you think I'll learn it just because you can't?"
"Of course I don't expect you to learn it perfectly; it would be great if you could learn seven or eight tenths of it," Fang Ke said, stating his requirements.
But Fang's mother still felt it was too difficult...
"Xin Xin, why aren't you eating?" Fang Ke suddenly noticed that Xin Xin's mood had been low ever since they came back. Usually, even if she didn't talk much, she always had a smile on her face, but now she had her eyes downcast and looked unhappy.
Qiao Qiqi didn't dare let Fang Ke know what Xin Xin had done today, so she quickly said, "She watched cartoons all morning, she's probably too tired, I'll carry her back to sleep in a bit."
"Oh, I see!" Children all like to take a nap. Fang Ke has a colleague whose child is about the same age as Xin Xin, and the child takes a nap every day at noon, so Fang Ke didn't find it strange.
Qiao Qiqi quickly finished her meal. She was going to wash the dishes, but Fang's mother insisted that she shouldn't do it and urged her to take Xin Xin back to her room to sleep.
Qiao Qiqi didn't insist any further, picked up Xin Xin and took her back to the room to put her to sleep.
After Xin Xin fell asleep, she tiptoed out of the room.
Fang Ke was sitting on the sofa, flipping through a photo album. When she saw her come out, she immediately called her over, "Come and see, this is the photo of my aunt in the red dress that I told you about. Look how much she looks like you."
Qiao Qiqi looked at the photo. In the photo Fang Ke had shown her before, she only thought the two looked about four or five points alike, but this one did look even more alike, about seven points alike.
“If I hadn’t confirmed that my aunt doesn’t have children, I would really suspect that you are her child. You two look so alike,” Fang Ke exclaimed again.
Fang's mother came downstairs after taking a shower and saw the two of them looking at the photo album. She smiled and said, "Yes, your eyes, eyebrows, and temperament are really very similar to my sister-in-law."
As she spoke, Fang's mother sat down on the single sofa next to her. "Qiqi, I asked a friend for you. In your sister's case, my friend said that you definitely need to see a psychologist. You can also try seeing a traditional Chinese medicine doctor. If you think it's necessary, you can also see a pediatrician for a detailed examination. Anyway, it's only a one-way trip, so it won't make a difference if you go to one more department."
Qiao Qiqi felt that these three departments were indeed necessary, so she nodded, "Okay, then we'll register all three departments tomorrow."
"Well, I'll go to the hospital this afternoon and ask a friend who works there if she has time. If she does, she can show you around. If not, I'll ask her to show you the way; that would be more convenient."
Qiao Qiqi was so grateful she didn't know what to say. "Then I'll have to trouble you."
"You're welcome." Mrs. Fang had to go to work, so she packed up and left.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
